Abortion is punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment under NSW law.
Photograph: Dan Peled/AAP

A proposal to decriminalise abortion and create protest-free zones around clinics is expected to come before New South Wales parliament this week, backed by doctors, lawyers, teachers, academics, unions and civil rights groups.

The Greens are leading the push to have abortion removed from the state’s Crimes Act, but are facing opposition from the Catholic church and the Christian lobby, which are seeking to lobby members of parliament against the changes.

The Green MLC Mehreen Faruqi has urged Labor and the Coalition to allow a conscience vote on her bill, saying the “archaic” provisions are fuelling stigma and confusion around abortion.

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“The uncertainty surrounding abortion law means it has become a confusing, grey area, placing women and medical practitioners in difficult territory and at risk of prosecution and persecution,” Faruqi said.

“Many doctors do not perform pregnancy terminations because of this risk.”

The ACT has decriminalised abortion completely and Tasmania and Victoria have also successfully pursued abortion law reform.

But similar attempts in Queensland ran into difficulty and were delayed earlier this year, following opposition from the state’s Liberal National party party.

The bill will also seek to establish 150-metre safe access zones around abortion clinics to protect women’s privacy and prevent harassment from protesters.

The reforms have the backing of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, Marie Stopes, Family Planning NSW and many other groups.

But the Catholic church is drumming up opposition to the bill. Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher called Catholics to “urgent action” to stop the legislation last month.

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Faruqi said the bill had been carefully constructed, in consultation with medical and legal experts. She said the bill was “far from radical”, pointing to the ACT system, which she said had been operating successfully since 2002.

“It’s 2017 and time to make sure that women having pregnancy termination and their doctors are not considered criminal,” Faruqi said.

“Provisions similar to this bill have been operating effectively for a number of years in many other jurisdictions of this country. It doesn’t force anyone to do anything they don’t want to, nor does it take a position on abortions.”